WOODVALE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND
Trustees Annual Report and Financial Statements
for the year ended 31 December 2023
Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC104498)
WOODVALE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (CONT’D)
WOODVALE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT
The Trustees present their Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2023 including a Statement of Assets and Liabilities as at that date.
REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS
Woodvale Presbyterian Church congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland 64a Woodvale Road
BELFAST BT13 3BU
Registered Charity in Northern Ireland (NIC104498)
CHARITY TRUSTEES
The Charity Trustees who served during the year or who were trustees at the date of this report were:
Reverend Keith Duddy Mr Paul Beggs Mr Ian Campbell Mr Desmond Wonnacott Mr Albert Galway (Deceased January 2023) Mrs Carol Dalzell Mrs Marion Lamont Mrs Margaret Wilson
PRINCIPAL OFFICE BEARERS
Minister Reverend Keith Duddy Clerk of Session Mr P Beggs Treasurer Mr I Campbell
INDEPENDENT EXAMINER
Ian Murray & Co Ltd 27 Joymount Carrickfergus County Antrim BT38 7DN
BANKERS
Bank of Ireland Belfast City Branch BELFAST BT1 2BA
WOODVALE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (CONT’D)
SOLICITORS
Cleaver Fulton & Rankin 50 Bedford Street BELFAST BT2 7FW
STRUCTURE AND MANAGEMENT
The Kirk Session
The charity trustees of the congregation are the members of its Kirk Session. Under the congregation’s governing document, The Code, the book of the constitution and government of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, the Kirk Session seeks to watch over and promote the spiritual interest of the congregation and of persons not connected with any congregation who are within its bounds. It ensures pastoral care is in place in the congregation and seeks to further the contribution of the Church to Christian witness and service in the local community. The Kirk Session has delegated to its Congregational Committee the temporal affairs of the congregation including administering all funds and property belonging to the congregation. Members of the Kirk Session are ex-officio members of the Congregational Committee.
The Kirk Session consists of the ordained minister and the ruling elders of the congregation. All members are entitled to propose, speak and exercise equal votes at meetings, except that the Moderator, as minister in active duty in the congregation, has no deliberative but only a casting vote.
Stated meetings of the Kirk Session are held once a month or as appropriate.
To be chosen for the office of the eldership in the congregation a person must be a voting member and a regular attendant on its ordinances. The selection of those proposed to be called to the office can be either by the congregation or by the Kirk Session. Members are elected if they obtain two-thirds of the votes cast.
Presbytery
Under the Presbyterian Church in Ireland form of governance the corporate oversight of a congregation is the responsibility of a Presbytery which superintends generally the spiritual and temporal affairs of the congregations assigned to it by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Woodvale congregation of the Presbyterian Church has been assigned to the North Belfast Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The membership of the Presbytery consists mainly of the active ministers of congregations
WOODVALE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (CONT’D)
assigned to it by the General Assembly, minsters who have retired from active duty and an elder appointed by the Kirk Session of each congregation.
The General Assembly
The General Assembly is the supreme court of the Church, representing in one body the whole Church and acting as its supreme legislative, administration and judicial authority, in dealing with all matters brought before it. The General Assembly is normally constituted during June for worship and to conduct its business. At the end of business it is dissolved. The membership of the General Assembly consists mainly of the active ministers of each congregation, retired minsters and a representative elder appointed by the Kirk Session of each congregation.
DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE
The charitable purpose of the congregation is the advancement of religion.
Woodvale congregation of the Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. The Presbyterian Church in Ireland, as a Reformed Church within the wider body of Christ, is grounded in the Scriptures and exists to love and honour God through faith in His Son and by the power of His Spirit, and to enable her members to play their part in fulfilling God’s mission to our world.
As a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, we believe that the Bible is the supreme authority over all we do, and that the Westminster Confession of Faith, along with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms set out what we understand the Bible teaches on key matters of Christian faith and practice.
The congregation’s mission purposes are stated in its Congregational Plan drawn up by Session in June 2019. This plan seeks to be faithful to God’s own plan – a “master-plan of redemption centred on putting forward Christ at a particular time and in a particular way”. Thus, our congregation is built on “a strong desire to glorify God, to imitate Him, and to obey His Word by putting Christ forward”.
Accordingly, our work in Woodvale congregation is based on six projects:
| (1) | Evangelism | - that people may know Christ. |
|---|---|---|
| (2) | Discipleship | - that people may grow in Christ and in His service. |
| (3) | World | - that we might carry these aims into all the world. |
| (4) | Family | - that families may know of Christ’s love and our practical concern for |
| them. |
WOODVALE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (CONT’D)
(5) Sunday - that we might improve our use of the Lord’s Day to worship God, to grow in the knowledge of His Word and in fellowship with one another, and to reach out to the community.
(6) Compassion - that we might use all means available care for the hurting, support the needy, and demonstrate to everyone God’s great kindness.
ACTIVITIES AND OBJECTIVES
The congregation meets for worship every Sunday and visitors are welcome to join us. The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper is normally observed on six occasions during the year and all those who have been baptised and who have made a profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are admitted to the Lord’s Supper. Normally, the congregation holds regular Bible studies and prayer meetings. Other activities include:
-
Twiglets (Parents and Toddlers)
-
Girls Brigade
-
BnB (Believe in Boys; Believin’ Boys)
-
Women’s Fellowship
-
Men’s Fellowship
ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
Worship and prayer
The congregation normally meets for worship each Sunday at 11.00 am and 6.00 pm. On some Wednesday evenings we have a midweek time of worship.
At 31 December 2023 there were 52 communicant members and 129 families connected with the congregation. During normal circumstances the average weekly attendance at morning worship is 40.
Pastoral care
As well as our regular Services during the year we have sought to befriend the lonely, assure the anxious, guide the doubting, and comfort the bereaved.
Members of the congregation who are unable to attend church due to sickness or age are normally visited on a regular basis by the minister and ruling elders.
Mission and Outreach
We share information and pray for missionaries overseas working with PCI and other missionary organisations.
WOODVALE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (CONT’D)
The congregation supports the United Appeal for Mission which is a central fund of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. This fund enables congregations to support the wider mission of the denomination and to do mission and outreach on a denominational basis beyond what the congregation could do on its own. The United Appeal Fund provides financial support for mission personnel at home and overseas, assists congregations with the deployment of locally based staff, enables church planting, provides grant support for the upkeep of church premises, assist with the running costs of Union Theological College, the Church’s training college for ministry students, and financially supports congregation in the areas of worship, discipleship, global mission, outreach, leadership and pastoral care.
The congregation also contributes to the denomination’s annual World Development Appeal and any other special appeals.
Presbytery
The congregation was represented at the regular meetings of Presbytery by our minister and one of the elders. This provides an important link between the congregations and the wider structures of the church.
General Assembly
The General Assembly took place in Assembly Buildings from Wednesday 21 June to Saturday 24 June 2023.
Property
In line with Government guidelines our church building has been adapted for social distancing, ensuring the safety of our congregation.
Organisations
Please see below a brief summary of the organisations in Woodvale Presbyterian Church:
70[th] Woodvale Girls Brigade
January seen the girls return after our Christmas break, to prepare for the PE marking.
In February the girls collected £1550 for GB week. £1048 was paid to GBHQ for administration fees. We appreciate all the donations especially during the continued cost of living crisis.
Our scripture course was “My Great Big God” with stories and quizzes showing God is loving, merciful, just, gracious, truthful, wise & patient. We are ever grateful to GBHQ for producing such interesting and fun activity books which hold the girls attention.
WOODVALE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (CONT’D)
In April we held our first display since April 2019. It was amazing to hear the noise, buzz and excitement of the girls, some of whom were only having their very first display.
We welcomed the girls back in September. This session we have 10 Tiny Tots, 22 Explorers, 18 Juniors, 4 Seniors, 3 Brigaders, 3 associates 1 helper and 6 Officers. Two of our girls are at university, one at Edinburgh and one at Queens. Unfortunately we lost a few of our older girls to the “R City” group. They still call to see us and we have maintained contact, R City is a fantastic opportunity for them as they do their exams and begin to look at further education.
In October we had St John Ambulance come to show the girls the inside of the ambulance and demonstrate some first aid. The older girls did some CPR. The Seniors and Brigaders did some fundraiser for St John Ambulance they did “Grow a Fiver” which involved them purchasing some sweets, crisps & juice and having a tuck shop for the younger girls. They also made hot chocolate for the parents and girls at Christmas.
In November we had a busy few weeks preparing for the enrolment. Thank you to Rev Duddy for a lovely service and to the congregation and families for their support on the day. The girls were as always, lovely in their uniforms.
The Junior section girls were all given £5 which they brought to Tesco to buy items for the food bank on World Kindness Day. The girls enjoyed doing something helpful to help the less fortunate in the community.
The Church Christmas tree was put up in December by the Senior and Brigaders girls and their Officers. The tree is magical especially to the younger girls, we love the time spent singing Christmas songs and getting photographs taken. We were able to have the Christmas PJ party on the last night before the Christmas break which is always great fun, especially the annual "snowball fight".
Thank you to all the helpers and Officers for their support and dedication to myself and the company. I thank God for the amazing people that support the Girls Brigade faithfully in prayer and deeds.
BnB (Believing Boys; Believe in Boys)
The congregation's outreach to boys is carried on under the name "BnB" - Believe in Boys; Believin' Boys.
In 2023 we met on Wednesday evenings from January to March and again from September to December with around a dozen boys attending. We are blessed with seven adult helpers on most occasions.
A typical evening consists of Bible time, a short lesson in deaf sign language (BSL), physical exercise, snack, and craft.
WOODVALE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (CONT’D)
Our ethos is Christ-centred and our message to the boys is summed up in the words of the Bible, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16.)
It is a joy and a privilege to get to know the boys and share with them the Saviour's love.
Twiglets (Parents and Toddlers)
Our congregation's parents and baby/toddler work is carried out through Twiglets.
Galatians 6:10 - "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." With these words planted very firmly in our minds and hearts we began our New Year 2023 in Twiglets. As with other years, our main aim was to reveal our Lord Jesus, demonstrate His love, be faithful and promote Christian values in an increasingly secular society.
Our numbers have been good, and remained fairly consistent, with an average of ten children most Wednesday mornings.
Sunday attendance was an area of disappointment as we had hoped to build on past success. However, despite a number of initiatives, parents didn't respond significantly.
Some parents did attend our congregation's Mix at Six programme - and we praise God for that. Our prayer is that the seeds which have been planted will produce a harvest. We praise God we are still in the day of opportunity, and will continue to witness to these young mums on a Wednesday morning.
I want to take this opportunity to thank the 5 or 6 helpers involved in this ministry - and we all thank those who pray with us for wisdom, boldness and grace as we witness.
We keep our eyes firmly fixed on the prize, knowing He is in control, and He will do it! Jesus said, "With God all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26).
Women’s’ Fellowship
The congregation's ministry to women for the glory of God goes under the name of "The Women's Fellowship" and includes a PW ("Presbyterian Women") focus.
Due to various circumstances, we had just a few get-togethers in 2023 to which all women, young and older, were invited. We had monthly updates from three Presbyterian Global Mission workers serving in Romania, Brazil and Portugal. We prayed for them and their monthly prayer letters were displayed. Emails were sent to let the mission personnel know we were thinking of them and praying for them. At the end of the year we sent £500 to PW headquarters to aid them with their work at home and abroad.
WOODVALE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (CONT’D)
Other activities included a "Talent Night" and several evenings of "Keeping in Line" - exercise to music. About a dozen women attended.
Our constant prayer is that women today will follow and serve Christ like their New Testament counterparts (Mark 15:40-42).
Volunteers
The Trustees wish to acknowledge their deep appreciation of those who have given freely of their time in the performance of various tasks, serving on committees, and helping with organisations and other church activities.
PUBLIC BENEFIT STATEMENT
The Presbyterian Church in Ireland meets the public benefit requirement by providing benefit to its members and the general public by making known the Christian Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ through the advancement of religion.
The direct benefits which flow from the purposes of the Church include the gaining of an understanding in Christian beliefs as set out in the Bible and in the Church’s subordinate standards (the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Shorter and Larger Catechisms) leading to spiritual and moral development and opportunities for response to Bible teaching. In turn, this framework leads to practical expressions of Christian beliefs and standards in the local community such as through the care of those in need (including the sick, disabled and bereaved).
Generally the above benefits are delivered locally by congregations, and their members, or are facilitated through presbyteries or are organised and delivered centrally. Local delivery is facilitated by central resources in almost all cases. Public access is made known through the use of noticeboards, printed material, press advertisement, websites, and social media or in other ways.
The benefits are demonstrated through regular evaluation of the services and informal and ad-hoc feedback from members, their families, and members of the public.
The purpose does not lead to harm. The only private benefit flowing from our purpose is related to Ministers, Missionaries, Deaconesses, Irish Mission workers and Lay Agents who receive benefits as a result of their holding office or employment. However, this is incidental and necessary in order to further our charitable purpose. There are no other private benefits. The beneficiaries of this purpose are members, their families, other individuals that the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is in direct and indirect contact with, the community in which pastoral services are provided and other communities throughout Northern Ireland, the
WOODVALE CONGREGATION OF THE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN IRELAND TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (CONT’D)
Republic of Ireland, and worldwide which benefit from our engagement with and support for both Christian and other secular organisations, charities and individual members of the public.
The Kirk Session has had regard to the Charity Commissions Public Benefit requirement statutory guidance.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
The congregation’s main source of income is members’ contributions through the Weekly Freewill Offering. There were 89 contributors during the year [108 in previous year, 2022] donating a total of £46,805 [£48,278 in previous year, 2022].
Total income of the congregation during the year was £170,800, compared to £69,393 in the previous year. The main reasons for the change are a mix of factors including demography of our membership, reduced attendance and corresponding patterns of giving and differences in legacy income, grants and HMRC gift aid refunds between years. Against these, the congregation sold its remaining investments accounting for a one-off net increase in income overall.
Total expenditure increased to £130,303 [from £119,191 in 2022] largely as a result of increased costs pressures, for example, in energy .
STATEMENT OF TRUSTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
The Trustees are responsible for preparing the annual report and the financial statements of the congregation in accordance with applicable law and generally accepted accounting practice.
As the congregations total income does not exceed £250,000, the Trustees have elected under Section 64(3) of the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 208 to prepare a receipts and payment account and a statement of assets and liabilities.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the congregation’s transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time its financial position. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the congregation and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Approved by the Kirk Session at a meeting on 11 March 2024 and signed on its behalf by
Ian Campbell Paul Beggs Date Date